Android 4.4.3 OTA updates hitting Nexus and GPe devices [Updated]

Over-the-air update files now available for multiple devices

Following the recent release of Android 4.4.3 for Nexus devices in factory image form, the first over-the-air updates have started rolling out this morning. So far we've confirmed it's rolling out for the Nexus 7 2013 (Wifi), Nexus 5 and Google Play editions of the Galaxy S4, HTC One M7 and HTC One M8. We'd expect more Nexus devices (and eventually Google Play editions) to follow with OTAs in the near future, and as always not everyone will get the update immediately. In the meantime, impatient Nexus owners can always fall back on a manual install of the update if they're feeling adventurous.

We've got download links and more info after the break.

You'll want to double-check which specific build of Android you're running, and your device should be 100 percent stock before applying the OTA to avoid any issues. For more info on how to manually flash a Nexus update, check out our guide.

Anyone had this update brick their phone/tablet after it got interrupted? I started the update and after taking forever it got interrupted (I know, not something I would have chosen) and now my tablet (Asus Nexus 7) is a brick. Doesn't start at all. Any suggestions anyone?

Yesterday N7 grouper come up with message Update to 4.4.3 ... I allowed and since than tablet is brick. Spins bubles for ever.. How to bring it back to life ... help please.
I have Android SDK, downloaded 4.4.4 image for N7 (grouper) should reverse to 4.4.2 or to 4.4.4 ???

Don't do it! If you don't have the update, don't get it. I got it on my nexus 5 and my phone does at least three times a day now. I charge over night and unplug at 100%. Without playing games, two texts to my husband and one five minute phone call, I'm left with a 14% notification. I changed over to power save mode and it doesn't help. I'm in the process of uninstalling now.

I got the notification today at about 11:45 am. I accepted the update...it got downloaded and its been installing for last 8 hours. Anybody knows what is happening here?
My phone is a Nexus 4 (unlocked), it had 1 GB of free space when i had accepted the upgrade.

I haven't gotten it either. However I'm on ATT. Google releases the updates to every phone. The phone company doesn't matter. I have a weird feeling though that they might have pulled the update for some weird reason. We should have it by now. Something just doesn't seem right.

I did a factory reset... :( All through the factory reset, the screen kept doing the rapid flickering. after about 5 minutes of all my apps reinstalling, gradually the flickering slowed down until it stopped completely. No more screen flicker. I just wonder if I had not done the factory reset if the screen flicker would have gone away if I just left the screen on.

Update: 4.4.3 bricked my Nexus 4. Stuck in a continual start up loop. Called Google and they offered to extend my warranty because my phone is indeed "bricked". The rep even had me do a factory reset and still nothing.

Yup good update..........
Good thing I was steady following this for months. I always wanted my stock dialer app refreshed. But that's about it? I never had any other issues /bugs on my GPE Nex. 5 that I have ever ran across that i know of, but @ under 100mb i wasn't expecting much.

I've owned a Nexus One, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7. 4.4.3 for N5 is the *first* ota that I have received mainstream style (got it today via T-Mobile data. no luck checking on home wifi yesterday or this morning...) I actually wondered what the notification looks like, as I've always been so impatient and always manually updated (for those times that I wasn't doing the cm nightly thing). So, I guess I'm saying that either I'm more patient or I find stock Android more acceptable. Probably just that Android is more mature. And I haven't needed root enough to not be stock.

Depends. If you are rooted but have not deleted any system apps or installed a custom recovery or messed with your kernel(some auto root methods mess with the kernel) it will probably work. You would want to use survival mode in supersu to keep root. If you have changed anything as far as system apps, recovery or kernel it won't work and would be easiest to just go to XDA and flash a stock rooted rom.

Couldn't wait for the OTA... Here's how I did it:
- Backed up apps to Google Drive using Helium Premium - formerly Carbon (So worth the $5 to be able to do it through cloud storage as opposed to saving file to my PC, but I suppose you could do it that way as well with the free version)
- Opened my Nexus Root Tool Kit (http://www.wugfresh.com/) on my PC. (This is an absolute lifesaver for unlocking, rooting, etc)
Clicked on "Flash Stock + Unroot"
When "Which factory image" window opens, select Android 4.4.3 build for your appropriate device, and "Automatically download + extract the factory image selected above for me."
- Then follow the steps outlined by NRT. That's it! Simple! It does it all for you.
- Now your phone is Flashed to Android 4.4.3 Stock, and if you choose to re-root your phone you can do it now using the same tool. No fuss ... It does it all for you!!!
- Then I reinstalled Helium on my phone, followed the prompts to set it back up, and re-installed all of my app data. Nothing lost ... All of my files are as they were (Except for my texts because I forgot to back them up. No biggie)

Good luck! Hopefully my battery will last more than 2 hours now. We shall see...

(You could also back up all of your files using NRT, but for me Helium was just easier this time around)

I'm trying to sideload the update and when I type in "adb reboot recovery" into the command prompt it says device not found. It's connected via USB and has debugging mode on so not really sure what the problem is

Use Wugs Fresh toolkit to install drivers. It has an indepth tutorial. Drop the update into the "data" folder in the Wugs Fresh folder and use the command prompt in advanced settings. That is how I do it and it has been fairly painless once you get the drivers working.

It's all about clearing and force stopping that Google services framework . It has worked for me before. As in I checked for update and nothing, then cleared data on GSF and checked again.... And voila there it was. Even though it's not working this time I have faith in this method .

I'm actually a fan of Staged roll outs. If an big bug happens, then Google can stop the rollout (like with what happened to Android 4.4.1).
I'm OK with waiting a bit, but once an OTA.zip is released, I'm updating!

I never had this camera drain bug everyone speaks about, though I don't use my camera a lot (mostly to take down notes here and there)... If I've had any battery drain issues on my Nexus 5 they've usually been caused by Google+ wakelocks, or some other Google services keeping the phone awake for an hour or two, it's not common by any means though.

Just installed the OTA .zip on my Nexus 7 (2013) from /sdcard with CWM Recovery 6.0.4.7. As always, I was prompted to fix root before exiting. I'd sideload or install from /sdcard in a custom recovery to keep root.

Update: Just finished booting and it turns out that I did in fact lose root access this time, which surprised me. Also killed my custom recovery, so it looks like I'll be heading over to the computer now.

Will be hitting F5 on this post once a minute from now until they post the N5 OTA link! To quote the great Phil Nickinson: "Good things come to those who wait, but it comes to those who sideload faster"

Unless you push it yourself through adb/fastboot the OTA will fail if you have a custom kernel/recovery anyway so no one is ruining their phone by trying to install it this way. Just uninstall the xposed framework installer and use fastboot to flash-all, making sure to erase the -w. I did that over both a custom kernel and recovery and it updated just fine. Just re-flash then again when you're done along with your super user and you're good to go.

You can also do the same thing, disable xposed, install stock kernel and use a custom recovery to flash the ota zip. No data wipe and its just like taking the ota update. Worked flawlessly for me, plus I didn't lose root since I had supersu ota rootkeeper enabled.

im not 100% certain, but I strongly believe it has absolutely nothing to do with imei# and the OTA actually gets rolled out in waves by an identifier called a "region code" and the date the device was manufactured. A: region code + B: Date. now, its not exact date, but time periods or lots. the first 1000 nexus 7 2013 may have A at the end of the serial number and then the next wave of 10,000 devices will have B at the end and so on... the OTA takes a random region code and timestamp puts the two together and rolls out to those devices. this is not fact, this is me scanning my memory of a factual article from a trusted source that I read while impatiently waiting for the original Kit-Kat update... the article is no where to be found now, but i remember it explained the OTA to something of the likes of what i just stated... basically they do it this way so they dont overload the servers like apple does everytime they release their updates and poor isheep sit and stare at their thick small screened large extra large bezel no back button having uncustomizable everyone's looks the same over priced basic cant do anything special iphones and cry about their phone isnt working and everything is lagging...

So, mashing the button does have some merit. If they roll out the batches of updates every 2 hours or so but your phone really only checks in on its own once a day then conceivably you would get the update possibly an entire day earlier than you would if you don't mash the button.

Let's say your phone checks in at 8am and they roll out the update to your MEID or whatever at 9:00am. Without mashing that button you wouldn't see that update until the next day.

You are correct.
But that really doesn't help all that much, so it is a lot of effort and obsession for very little return. Mathematically it could only someone save someone a half a day on average, *if* he pressed it regularly, 24 hours a day (which is totally unrealistic).

Another example: you mash the stupid button every waking hour and on the 6th day of this you went to bed at 11pm. The update rolls out at 11:30pm. In the morning your phone checked at 6am before you even woke up and got the update. You wasted 6 days of your effort. :)

Have you ever tried to grab an apple update at that moment?
If you had you wouldn't think it was so great.
Every single time apple has a major update it's servers get hosed and the download fails every time you try to download it and stupid itunes doesn't even support resuming the download, you have to start again from scratch.

Google's staggered updates might frustrate geeks who want it the second it drops, but Google's method is much better for average users than apples.
Apple updates suck. I get frustrated and wait a few days every time because the update won't complete.

And it's not like you can't side load the OTA as soon as it drops for your device.

The major updates are the ones that get hammered on iOS every other update is fine and even then its usually fine after 24-48 hours still better than a few weeks waiting on google to push out updates if you don't want to start everything from scratch again.

Apple announced iOS8 this week and it will not be available for months. Google announced 4.4.3 less than two days ago and it was available immediately if you use the factory images or within a day or two for the OTA. That sounds better than months to me.

There is a clear difference between announcing features in an update and making said update available. It's not like Google keeps whats new in an update a total secret up until it's available.
Besides, iOS 8 is mayor update. And as Google would to too (I would imagine), it's released first for developers so they have time to ensure compability. That being said iOS 8 beta has been available since monday and, since you mention using factory images to avoid waiting for an OTA notification, can be installed even if you’re not a registered developer.

Really? With Apple you have to wait for a full firmware update to get simple refinements. Google and now most OEMs update most of that stuff via weekly core app updates via the PlayStore. Sorry no thanks. I'll take Google's method even if you have to wait a few days for actual firmware OTAs

I've had. Every single time. Sure, it takes like 3 hours to download which is totally understandable considering there're probably hundreds of thousands of users downloading the update at the same time.
If you're having trouble downloading it on day 1 then try again the next day. Easy.
Meanwhile, I've had to wait for more than two weeks for my Nexus 5 to get an update notification ever since I got it.

I'm just pointing out that apples update process has issues too, it could at least support some kind of resume and retry instead of just crapping out.
Which is better depends on your usage, its a lot easier to get the ota on android once its released and side load it. I just side loaded mine. For those of us that are impatient.